MissGoddess Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Criterion has just re-released this Hitchcock movie in a 2 disc edition and here is a thoughtful review of the film itself I thought you might enjoy: http://www.slate.com/id/2178812/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joefilmone Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 One of Hitchcocks early classics- great to see it getting the Criterion DVD it deserves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnm001 Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 I love this film. It, along with The 39 Steps is a favorite among Hitchcock's earlier works. I'm not going to replace it with an expensive Criterion edition, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shasta66 Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 What a great article! Thanks for sharing it MissGoddess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissGoddess Posted December 5, 2007 Author Share Posted December 5, 2007 You're welcome, Shasta! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joefilmone Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 I agree that the Criterion editions are expensive but they usually use the best possible print and have a wealth of cool extras- if you love a particular film its worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsclassic Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 I thought the 39 Steps was way better than the Lady Vanishes I agree about the Criterion ..but I wish they would lower the prices. Warner does the same quality and extras on some of their older titles and they sell them for way less... Sometimes on ebay or even Amazon some sellers sell a used Criterion DVD..I got 39 Steps for 15.00 used..and it plays great and looks great... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissGoddess Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share Posted December 6, 2007 I'm not sure which I prefer, I think I lean toward The Lady Vanishes over The 39 Steps, probably because it does have more humor. And I hate to say it but I'm not enamored of the leading men in either movie. Robert Donat was a fine actor but he never excited me at all. Madeleine Carroll is marvelous but so is Margaret Lockwood. I will probably rent this Criterion dvd to see *The Lady Vanishes* clearly for the very first time, lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsclassic Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Funny, I went with the 39 steps because it has less humor... LOL I knew my clear cut choice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo22 Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Both films are great, but my favorite is The Lady Vanishes. I like films where so much drama, conflict, etc. is mined out of a very enclosed setting, which explains why Rear Window is my absolute favorite film of all time, Lifeboat is a film I feel is vastly underrated in the grand scheme of things, and Twelve Angry Men is the only other one I can think of that's not a Hitchcock movie! . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnm001 Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 If I had to select between the two, it would be The Lady Vanishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CineSage_jr Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 THE 39 STEPS is a more critical film in Hitchcock's oeuvre than THE LADY VANISHES, in that it is the wellspring from which all his later romantic chase-thrillers would spring, whereas LADY, like a number of his other films, veers off into somewhat different territory. While NORTH BY NORTHWEST is surely the apotheosis of those chase-thrillers, it is also less important than THE 39 STEPS; were it not for the latter, the former (along with FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT and SABOTEUR would not exist, at least in the form we all now know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnm001 Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 I don't disagree with any of that; but I don't care how important a film is. That doesn't do anything for my enjoyment. If it did, I wouldn't hate Citizen Kane so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Film_Fatale Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 I agree about the Criterion ..but I wish they would lower the prices. Warner does the same quality and extras on some of their older titles and they sell them for way less... Sometimes on ebay or even Amazon some sellers sell a used Criterion DVD..I got 39 Steps for 15.00 used..and it plays great and looks great... As an avid collector, I don't know if that's a fair comparison. Warner Home Video releases the movies to which the company already owns the rights to, and in most cases they've got the negatives, too. Criterion has to license the rights to many of the films, and often times they will search all over the world for the best available source materials; on top of that, they usually will work closely with the director or the DP when they are still around to try to make sure the video transfer is as close as possible to what the filmmakers intended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsclassic Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 So does that justify selling DVDs for 40.00+ a pop..just because it is Criterion labelled Or selling crap titles like Monsters & Madman box sets for 80.00 Only one of the 4 movies IMO is any good, the First Man Into Space, the others are just low budget goodies that to me are for completists (no disrespect to the great Karloff, but not everything he did was gold)..even with the bonus features, are 4 B movies that total about 4 hours worth of viewing worth 80.00 ??? On the flip side some titles are worth the extra money.... Ok I admit, I spent 40.00 for Equinox which well it isn't a gem, but the directors cut is better & it was an important film & has a huge cult following. That movie and M were expensive but worth it. As much as like Fiend without a Face and yes I spent the 35.00-40.00 for it, I didn't think it was worth all that money , but I wanted it badly so I spent the money. It gets a little confusing at times, spending 40.00 for a movie that you really want, part of you says get it, part of you says are you crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CineSage_jr Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 I don't disagree with any of that; but I don't care how important a film is. That doesn't do anything for my enjoyment. If it did, I wouldn't hate Citizen Kane so. In all the ink that's been expended in praise for CITIZEN KANE's groundbreaking artistry, little has been written about how wonderfully entertaining a movie it is. As such, your dislike only points to the inevitable conclusion that it takes all kinds to make a world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsclassic Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 Little has been written about how good CK is because it seems only a little (aka a few) seem to like it in these forums.. For me, this just wasnt my cup of tea.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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